A BLIND veteran from Yorkshire has paid tribute to a military charity that has supported him.

Blind Veterans UK celebrated its centenary by re-uniting Ben Smith, 82, from Whitby, with several other veterans helped by the charity.

Mr Smith served from 1955 to 1958 with 2 Tactical Air Force in Germany, at two flying stations situated very close to the Iron Curtain, Fassberg and Wunstorf.

His duties included helping National Service men to obtain qualifications they had missed out on at school so that they could obtain better jobs back in civilian life.

Mr Smith has received help and support from Blind Veterans UK since early 2014. He was diagnosed with Glaucoma in 1980 and slowly lost his sight over the years. In 2010 Ben was registered blind.

Mr Smith said: “Losing your sight is incredibly frustrating but the support I’ve had from Blind Veterans UK has been invaluable. My wife died eight years ago but the charity makes it possible for me to still live on my own.”

Mr Smith receives training from Blind Veterans UK to use equipment such as a long cane.

“The best thing Blind Veterans UK has done for me is give me a voice recorder and a very sophisticated magnifier,” he said.

“I give talks and now I can record my thoughts and read my notes!”

Blind Veterans UK (formerly St Dunstan’s) was founded in 1915 and has provided free support for more than 35,000 blind ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen since.